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I was camped next to the ice truck trailer, and there was one guy who worked ALL WEEK long hauling ice, his shirt wet all the time,and not from ice!! I know there were others who worked, not rode around, equally as hard, it's just that I saw what he did, and most of it manual labor!!!!!!!!!!!!1

He was much smarter than some. He got to go into the freezer truck to get the ice every so often. Meanwhile, Rob Nye cleaned toilets.

Paul Glaves - "Big Bend", Texas U.S.A
"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russellhttp://www.bigbend.net/users/glaves

Yes, the weather was inclement, but it's not like a dome of hot was parked directly over bloomsburg. That heat wave covered half the nation and there was no way anybody could have predicted the timing or extent of it. So let's not blame the organizers for the weather; let's just ask that they show a bit of flexibility going forward.

I didn't attend because (1) i travel with my dog and barley has a tough time dealing with heat in that fur coat of his, and (2) i suffered from heat stroke twice while in the military and don't tolerate heat very well myself anymore. Personal choice. If i miss a rally now and then the world isn't going to end.

But all this talk of heat and miserable conditions is threatening to overshadow the hard work put in by scores of volunteers before and during the rally. The act of pulling a small town together for four days is pretty impressive!

This was only my second national rally and I also want to say thanks to everyone who worked hard to put on a great event. The weather was hot frankly miserable, but when scheduling an event over a year earlier, you can only guess.

When I was working in the registration tent on Friday morning, all I could think of was to remind everyone to stay hydrated and out of the sun when possible. I also talked to one of the MSF instructors who had also taught at Redmond last year. The temperatures there were similar, but the humidity was less. The bottom line is that you need to keep hydrated (I remember taking one of the classes at Redmond in 100??F heat and being glad there was water at every break).

I was impressed that the organizers made a (very good) decision to get the sprinklers and pass out water. My riding buddies and I had stopped at the local Wally world and picked up a case of water on Thursday and I'm happy to say that it made it through the weekend (Jim passed out a couple of bottles on Sunday morning after they finished packing up).

I had to leave early on Saturday to return to Upstate NY for my high school reunion and I realized that it was still hot up there. I was glad to get back to Oregon where the temps were only in the mid-70s.

Random thoughts

People make the best of things, or they don't their choice.
I had a water bottle in hand all day, stayed hydrated. Didn't have a drop of alcohol, didn't seem like a good plan.
The spray hose at the YB tent was a life saver, soaked down multiple times during the day.
The shade at the band stand was great
I never made it to the creak, but it helped many people
Most people I talked with were having a good time.
Giving away the bottled water was the right thing to do.

Beer is good

I drank all day every day. I also drank water, ate well, went to all the vendors, visited the creek often and took several rides on marvelous roads. I can't say enough about the people I met at the various businesses in town and in the surrounding towns.

Whiners are everywhere; just don't let their whine be heard over the good time people.

I will echo the appreciation for all the hard work and effort of the mostly volunteer army. Having volunteered previously, I know how much work goes into creating a good time for others. And they do this every year despite the weather!!

That said, if the rally is going to be in July, perhaps locations at higher elevations or in northernmost areas are in order. Still no guarantee, but it improves the odds. And while I'm at it, why have it conflict with AMA Vintage Days ? I'm sure some folks choose one or the other.....

And with all that said, this year I camped for a few days, test rode the new 1600 GTL, got a good deal on a tank bag, saw friends from prior rallies, drank some beer, saw some amazing vintage bikes, had more home made ice cream than i need, attended a few cool seminars, discovered some cool new roads, etc,etc. All for $35.

A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving...http://www.classicvelocity.com
10 R1200GSA, 90 R100GS PD, 80 R100RT, 65 R50/2, 58 R60

I was happy to volunteer a little of my time for a Gate/Security shift and later much chagrined to have to back out of a Beer Garden shift due to a foot problem and having to leave on Saturday instead of staying into Sunday.

BUT.... I have to commend the Chairs and Co-Chairs for all they did and accomplished. I observed one Co-Chair in Gates/Security that literally worked from Can 'til Can't and from morning until late night. Other folks in various positions were quick to step up and handle problems outside their purvue (sp).

There are some other threads on here discussing the loss of some leaders in the volunteer ranks and the invaluable Chair/Co-Chair ranks.

For the next and all future Rallies, take a deep look and see what you can contribute by volunteering for different things. We are all in this together, and it takes all of us to make it happen and succeed.

This was my first Int.Rally and I've got to say I'm impressed! What a feat to pull off! My helmet is off to all the organizers & volunteers!

.....and to all you people who stayed home because of the heat - My Dad who is 87 did the Springfield - Bloomsburg SS1000 and became the oldest man to ever complete one.....in the heat....and camped out for three nights.

Something about that greatest generation isn't there? lol

Again thanks & Congrats to all the people who made this happen~

Ken

IBA #44567 Pres. Springfield BMW Roadriders
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
-Albert Eienstein

.....and to all you people who stayed home because of the heat - My Dad who is 87 did the Springfield - Bloomsburg SS1000 and became the oldest man to ever complete one.....in the heat....and camped out for three nights.

I found the Rally to be incredibly well organized and staffed by the most helpful and friendly people to be found anywhere! The presentation of all activities was outstanding and it all comes down to the quality of the people presenting and attending. The venders were great and spending some money with them was a pleasure as it is so much better when you can physically put your hands on stuff than looking at pictures online. As I walked through the site in the dark about 10:30 Friday night I came to the conclusion that it is only BMW people that could get along so well without any apparent "temper issues" or conflicts in the oppresive heat. I did not observe the need for any law enforcement on the grounds and did not see any until going through the gate late Friday night. I am proud to be a member of an outfit with like minded folks who know how to behave and have a great time. I have to say it though, I will make no more bike trip plans well in advance for July or August, just too uncomfortable for me personally. My vote for national week would be last week in September or first week of October. Thanks to all who helped to make this rally great in spite of...well you know and I hope that eveyone made it home safe. Thanks...Tom

... As I walked through the site in the dark about 10:30 Friday night I came to the conclusion that it is only BMW people that could get along so well without any apparent "temper issues" or conflicts in the oppresive heat.

You forgot the $1.50 draught beers! In some 2-wheeled circles that would be a recipe for disaster.

That is by far the biggest difference between "us" and "them". Many years ago I worked an event for the local VFW with a couple buddies, one of whose father was post commander. We were the single point of distribution and handled the intake of cases the day before, loading hundreds in the reefer trailer. We then sold it the following day at their event, an "after party" for a local Toys for Tots drive that has been a long standing tradition here in my state, drawing upwards for 20,000 bikers for the cause. This event was among the many in the area and usually had several thousand on sight, with music and such. Beers were $1 a can and while they were pretty darned good at policing themselves, things would get out of hand often; note NONE of that I saw last weekend. And in the years when it was HOT at the event, you'd find some of the women were willing to.... um...... display their wares in order to get a free one. Some were on display even while wearing clothes. At 22 or 23 years old, I wasn't averse to "watching" (yeah, that's it... ) but I have to say, putting 7300 bikers in one hot place, in other circumstances, could have been something else entirely. As a middle-aged father of a 12 year old also in attendance, I couldn't be more thankful I'm a part of THIS group and not THAT one.

There is little we can do about the weather, but we have full control over how we respond. In this regard I was pretty impressed with how the rally organizers responded to the heat. Having water and cooling stations available throughout the grounds was a great idea and I'm sure it kept the ambulance runs down. Our local chapter (Chicago Region, #3) has been hiring a canopy at the MOA rally since West Bend and the shade it provided this year was a huge benefit for club members.

Other high points:

1) I never found a porta-potty that had run out of TP. They really had a handle on that sanitation issue.

2) Overall layout was pretty good. In the club camping area we could hear the entertainment without leaving our canopy. It was also pretty nice to be a short walk from the beer/coffee tent. And on the subject of coffee, I'm pretty critical of my morning beverage. At a number of previous rallies I went so far as to make a coffee run every morning to get the good stuff. I found that totally unnecessary this time as the quality of the rally coffee was very good. Kudos to the folks who made that happen.

3) The shuttle bus to town was great! I enjoyed a couple nice meals w/out having to abstain because I was getting back on the bike.

4) I didn't use the university accommodations but that seems like a great idea to provide mass quantities of housing. (Incidentally, shifting the date to spring or fall would make this kind of resource unavailable.)

5) We liked the farmers market. It was nice to be able to get some fresh fruit and vegetables to munch on as an alternative to funnel cakes.

6) There was a pretty nice variety of food vendors. Though I found none that matched the walleye fillets we found in West Bend, there was a good variety including some nice alternatives to fried foods like the steak wraps. That same company ran the dessert concession who catered our Friday evening ice cream social and their desserts were excellent as well.